The Horrors of Christmas
by nila.nithila
Summary: "Baka Oyaji! Santa Claus doesn't steal presents!" Atobe hosts a Christmas party. Ryoma has strange Christmas beliefs. Fuji and Yukimura wreak havoc. And then things go horribly wrong.
1. Chapter 1

**This is Nithila again. I found this plot idea in one of my old writing notebooks, and decided to continue writing it. I hope you like it.**

* * *

Kikumaru and Ryoma both sat huddled next to the door of the clubroom, peeking through the keyhole. Well, technically, Ryoma was peeking through the keyhole, and Kikumaru was pestering him.

"Ne, Ochibi, is he gone yet?"

Ryoma sighed, shaking his head. "No, senpai, he's right here."

Kikumaru groaned dramatically. "Doesn't Tezuka _ever _get bored? He's so mean, nya!"

Ryoma silently agreed.

They had been late by three minutes. Only three minutes. They had planned to run on to the courts when Tezuka wasn't looking, but Tezuka had determinedly placed himself _right at the door,_ waiting for them to come out so that he could murder them with his ultimate weapon: _'Thirty laps NOW!'_

And so they were stuck inside, waiting for him to get distracted.

Another minute passed.

"He can't stand here all day, nya!" Kikumaru cried desperately.

Ryoma ignored him, and instead concentrated on staring through the keyhole. Just then, the keyhole turned black. As he was contemplating the possible reasons as to why, the door swung open-

-hitting both of them in their faces-

-and sending them tumbling over. Tezuka stood in the doorway, arms crossed, surrounded by an angry, red aura.

"You two. Have wasted. Seven minutes of practice. Thirty laps NOW!" he ordered.

The two of them fled outside.

"Tezuka is so heartless," Kikumaru said mournfully. Ryoma inwardly agreed. They would have only wasted three minutes if their captain hadn't _blocked the doorway._

Back inside the clubroom, Tezuka sighed and rubbed his temple. Practice had barely started, and he_ already_ had a headache. The joy.

He turned and was about to leave, when he noticed an envelope sticking out of a locker.

Tezuka was, by nature, not a nosy person. So he opened the clubroom door and was about to step outside when he realized that said locker was _his _locker.

Slightly embarrassed by his forgetfulness, he hurriedly went back inside and pulled the envelope out, reading it quickly. By the time he had finished, his eyebrow was twitching violently.

'_Atobe…'_

* * *

"Everyone, dismissed!" Oishi called, clapping his hands for attention. "Freshmen, pick up balls! Regulars, assemble here!"

Ryoma raised an eyebrow. The holidays started two days later, so this wouldn't be about a match. Then…?

Curious, he followed the other regulars to where Oishi, Tezuka, and Ryuuzaki-sensei were standing.

Oishi smiled at them. "Everyone, Atobe-san of Hyotei has decided to invite us and Rikkai Dai to his Christmas party."

This one sentence was enough to cause chaos.

"Eh? _Atobe?"_

"A _Christmas party?"_

"_Rikkai Dai?"_

"Us?"

Oishi sighed, and then held up a letter. "Here, I'll read it for you…" he cleared his throat.

"_Dear Tezuka, be honored that Ore-sama is writing to you. On Christmas eve, that is on the day before Christmas, or rather the 24__th__ of December-"_

"Well, duh."

"Momoshiro!"

"Sorry, sorry…"

"_-rather the 24__th__ of December, Ore-sama is hosting a Christmas party at his house. Apart from Seigaku, Rikkai Dai is the only other team invited. The party will continue until the next daym that is, you will be staying the night. Be awed by Ore-sama's generosity."_

Someone snorted. Oishi ignored them.

"_Ore-sama expects ALL of the regulars at the mansion by 10:00 am positively. No excuses. Also, please tell your team mates to bring a present each, for a gift exchange. On Christmas eve, as per tradition, we will place the presents under Ore-sama's Christmas tree-"_

Ryoma twitched violently, and Momo looked at him in confusion.

"_-and will open them in the morning. Signed, your only rival, Atobe Keigo."_

There was a moment of silence.

Ryoma was the first to speak. "I'm not coming," he stated matter-of factly.

Everyone looked at him.

"You have to," Momo said, just as simply.

"I don't want to."

"You have to."

"I don't want to."

"You have to."

"I don't want to."

"You have to."

Momo got an idea. "You don't have to," he said. This trick worked on _everyone. _Now, Echizen would-

"Exactly. So I'm not coming." Ryoma said, smirking.

Momo looked at him. "You're not as stupid as you look," he said genuinely surprised.

Ryoma opened his mouth to retort, but he was interrupted.

"All those who don't attend will have the honour of testing my new juice." Inui pulled out a pitcher of…something. Something…terrible.

Ryoma weighed his options, and decided to take the less painful form of death. "I'll come."

Throughout the conversation, Ryuuzaki-sensei had been eying Ryoma strangely. Now, she laughed. "Ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha HA HA HA!"

Everyone edged away from her slightly.

"Oh, ha HA!"

"Erm…Ryuuzaki…sensei?" Kikumaru said tentatively.

She calmed down a bit, panting hard. "Then she pointed a finger at Ryoma. "You," she chuckled.

Ryoma pointed a finger at himself, clearly asking, _'Me?'_

"Yes, you. Your mother, hee hee, told me about, ha ha, your father and your Christmas…_beliefs…._ha ha HA!" She shook her head and walked away, still chuckling madly.

Ryoma's face went pale. Slowly, his eyes narrowed, and he glared daggers at Ryuuzaki-sensei's back, before turning and stomping towards the clubroom.

The remaining regulars looked at each other and blinked.

"Um…what just happened?" Taka asked.

Fuji opened his eyes and smiled brightly, practically radiating happiness. "Saa…I have no idea."

'_But I will do anything to find out.'_

Momo and Kikumaru looked at each other in sheer terror, and silently agreed that it was about time they ran for their lives.

* * *

Ryuuzaki-sensei was just about to get into her car when a voice spoke up from behind her.

"Ryuuzaki-sensei?"

She turned towards the speaker in confusion. "Fuji? Shouldn't you be home?"

Fuji smiled. "I needed to ask you something."

"You've waited for…" Ryuuzaki checked her watch. "…one and a half hours?" She had always known that Fuji was determined, but she wouldn't have expected him to wait for her _so_ long. "What did you want?"

Fuji's smile widened dangerously. "Well, I wanted to ask you about what you said about Echizen's…Christmas…"

Ryuuzaki mentally face palmed. _'I knew I shouldn't have said that in front of this boy.'_

She sighed. "Well, I can't tell you the whole story without his permission, but...I suppose I could tell you most of it."

Fuji's smile would have widened, if he hadn't widened it to an impossible degree already. He laughed evilly inside his head, and resisted the urge to rub his hands together.

'_Perfect.'_

* * *

**To be Continued.**


	2. Chapter 2: Six Years Ago

******EDIT: I just realized I forgot to put in line breaks. I've fixed it, now. But I feel like a fool.**

**I did it! I updated!**

**I'd like to thank all the reviewers:**

**Ciel D'or Serendipite**

**angelg0722**

**Subaru**

**Nenepasciele**

**Emerald Rain 25**

**And all the people who added this story to their favorites.**

* * *

**SIX YEARS AGO:**

_Beep beep._

Ryoma rolled over in his bed lazily.

_Beep beep._

He slowly opened one eye to give the offending alarm clock his best one-eyed death glare.

_Beep beep._

The mighty alarm clock remained unperturbed.

_Beep beep._

Ryoma sat up angrily. This clock sure was stubborn. He raised an arm and punched it with all his might, with a maniacal, blood thirsty (clock mechanism thirsty?) glint in his eye.

The clock soared through the air, beeping terrifiedly all the way. Ryoma smirked. He _had _warned it.

…And then he realized that the alarm clock had won, too. He was awake.

"Oi, Ryoma! Your kind, thoughtful, generous father has come to wish you a happy birthday!"

What fun.

He yawned, stretched, and dragged himself up. His father stood in the door way, waving a present around and grinning like a lunatic.

"What do you _want?"_

Nanjiroh feigned hurt. "I come all the way up the stairs to bring you happiness with my present, and this is how you treat me?"

Obviously.

Ryoma shook his head. His father was beyond repair. As was his alarm clock, now that he thought of it. He'd have to get a new one soon.

He pushed past his father and headed down the stairs.

"Oi, oi! Atleast take your present!"

Ryoma stomped back upstairs and grabbed the box (inwardly cringing at the bright pink wrapping) and stomped back down again.

"Just make sure Santa doesn't steal it tonight!" his father called after him.

Ryoma froze for a moment, while his father laughed maniacally.

He shook his head again and continued down the stairs. His dad was joking.

Wasn't he?

* * *

Ryoma was currently playing tag with Karupin. Though he wasn't quite sure who was running and who was catching. They were simply running around in circles in thename of playing tag.

"Hey, seishounen!" His father called.

Ryoma didn't even look at him. "Yeah?"

"Aren't you going to hide your presents from Santa Claus?"

Ryoma stumbled, tripped over Karupin, and landed flat on his face. Karupin jumped on his head victoriously.

Ryoma pushed himself up. "Baka Oyaji! Santa Claus doesn't steal presents!"

Nanjiroh grinned and raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"_Really!" _Ryoma crossed his arms stubbornly.

Nanjiroh's smile dropped, and he was silent for a moment. Then he looked up at his son seriously, with honest eyes. "That's what I thought, too, when my father told me. But then…" he paused again.

"I saw it."

Ryoma's eyes widened.

Nanjiroh looked far into the distance. "Our family is cursed, Ryoma. We're one of those few unlucky ones. Santa Claus has been stealing our presents for centuries, and he gives them to other kids for Christmas." He shook his head mournfully. "He took the bike that I'd been begging for for months once. He's a heartless old man."

Despite himself, Ryoma was starting to believe the man.

"So trust me," Nanjiroh continued, "Hide your presents today."

And then he was gone, leaving his son despairing over the new knowledge that Santa Claus was corrupt.

* * *

It was almost midnight.

Ryoma was sitting up straight in bed, watching his wall clock ticking slowly his heart beating fast. A few minutes ago, he had almost gone down the stairs, but a loud bang from the hall had scared him back into his room. He'd listened from the doorway, and heard faint footsteps…along with jingling bells and muffled chuckling.

It was true. It was all true. This was what he got for ignoring his father. Santa Claus was here to steal his presents, and he would never get his new tennis racket.

This revelation shocked him into reality, and, with newfound determination, he sneaked down the stairs. His cat followed him just as quietly.

As he approached the living room, he froze. What if it really was only his father, pretending to be Santa? He'd never hear the end of it…

He shook his head firmly. He couldn't think like this. His tennis racket was in danger. As it's future owner, he had a duty to protect it.

Slowly, he peeked around the wall.

There was an open sack in the middle of the room. The sack was over flowing with presents. Presents that included…

…_his tennis racket._

And also one of Karupin's presents.

Ryoma's hands quivered in anger. His eyes narrowed into slits. Next to him, his cat hissed her fury, and scratched at the ground menacingly.

They looked each other in the eye and came to a silent agreement.

"Yes," Ryoma whispered, eyes shining in determination. "Santa Claus is going down."

It wasn't long before Santa Claus turned up in the hall again. He looked nothing like he'd imagined.

For one thing, he wasn't as round. Instead, he was tall. And he walked lazily, in a way that was suspiciously similar to…

Ryoma deadpanned. "Oyaji…"

'Santa Claus' froze up, before shaking with laughter. "Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas! I am Santa Claus! I steal your family's presents year after year! Ho, ho, ho!"

Ryoma facepalmed. His father was indeed beyond repair. "_Santa Claus _wouldn't make such stupid speeches."

"What are you saying, Ryoma? I am Santa Clau- _EEEEEEEEEK! You stupid cat!"_

Ryoma watched in grim satisfaction as his cat scratched every bit of Nanjiroh that she could reach.

His father tried to push the cat off, screaming all the while, when, suddenly, the dim light that lit up the room went off.

Everyone froze.

The Christmas tree lights flickered, before dying as well. The room was now pitch dark.

Slowly, a window creaked open on its own, letting the cold wind enter, and a shadow moved behind it. As one, everyone was shocked into action.

Nanjiroh screamed and ran up the stairs, locking himself up in Ryoma's room. Ryoma swore under his breath, and slowly edged his way towards the stairs. However, the intruder's laughter made him freeze in his footsteps.

"Ho…ho…ho…"

Ryoma would never find that laughter 'jolly' again.

He couldn't see the figure in the darkness, but he could vaguely follow it's movement. The figure moved towards the center of the room, and slowly hefted the sack over its shoulder.

At the sight of his tennis racket being taken away, Ryoma almost whimpered. _Almost._

The figure seemed to have sensed his distress, because it put the sack back down.

"Echizen Ryoma, isn't it? Well, you look rather pitiable. I guess I'll make an exception this year…"

It rummaged through the sack, pulled out two presents (including his tennis racket), and tossed it towards him. As an afterthought, it tossed another at Karupin. "I'm afraid I can't return the rest," it said. "The elves haven't made enough presents for everyone this year, so that's all I can spare." The figure moved towards the front door. "By the way, you should clean the chimney! I almost died on the way down. Merry Christmas!"

Santa Claus let himself out the front door.

Ryoma promptly collapsed against the wall.

Karupin had escaped long ago.

* * *

**AT PRESENT:**

Fuji sat cross legged on his bed in a meditative position, eyes closed, brainstorming furiously. Atobe's party was in one week, on Christmas eve. Echizen would be there as well.

It was hard to believe that the younger tennis prodigy was terrified of Santa Claus, and thought that he stole his Christmas presents. Even now, Fuji couldn't help laughing just thinking about it. It was crazy.

Atobe's party was in one week, on Christmas eve. The timing couldn't have been more perfect.

A vague plan had begun to take form in his head. Now all he needed to do was figure out how to execute it without raising anyone's suspicions.

Which meant…

Fuji pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts, looking for a certain name. He would need a partner.

He put the phone to his ear, and waited. He could hear the phone ringing on the other side. Finally, someone picked it up.

"_Moshi moshi?"_

"Yukimura?"

"…_Fuji?"_

Fuji smiled vampirishly. Next week was going to be fun.

* * *

**This was so much fun to write.**

**Anyway, please review!**


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